Recently named by
Condé Nast as one of the best small towns in Europe, and beloved by Corkonians as the best spot for a holiday at home, Cobh has become a firm favourite amongst tourists and locals alike. Colourful and quirky, you’ll be sure to fall in love with Cobh just like everyone else!
Originally known as Queenstown, Cobh was the last port of call for Titanic. 123 passengers boarded here, ready for new lives in America, but only 44 of those passengers survived the tragic voyage. Cobh has made sure that the legacy of these passengers stays alive with the
Cobh Heritage Centre and
Titanic Experience Cobh. One of the passengers, Jeremiah Burke, threw a message in a bottle into the sea as he was boarding, and you can find this among other artefacts and trinkets within the centres, ensuring that the passengers’ individual stories are remembered.
Looking for more surprising histories? County Cork isn’t known as ‘The Rebel County’ for nothing.
Spike Island, just off the coast of Cobh, was formerly a prison that closed in 2004, and today, visitors can see what life was like for 19th century prisoners. In 1850, over 2,000 convicts were housed in the star-shaped fortress, until they were eventually relocated to the prison on the mainland. Take a 20-minute ferry to the island that was once known as “Ireland’s Hell’, and discover the wild stories of the prisoners that were housed there!
Picture perfect views come naturally to Cobh. Home to the iconic candy-coloured row of houses, locally known as ‘The Deck of Cards’, it’s here that you’ll find fantastic views of the harbour and find yourself stopping every few minutes just to take another picture. Dominating the skyline is the magnificent
St Colman’s Cathedral. This neo-Gothic gem took 47 years to build, and houses 42 bells that can be heard all over town when they ring out.
Cobh also has the second largest natural harbour in the world, and welcomes over 90 cruise ships every year. But there are also plenty of
boat tours for you to join. Choose from a highlights tour to see the best of Cobh, or travel down the Kinsale coastline to admire the sea cliffs and the grey seal colony that lives on the Cork coastline. Or, for a really wild adventure, join the wildlife tour and perhaps spy basking sharks, seals or even dolphins!
Can our Community members recommend any other places to visit in Cobh?
